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State’s First AI Image-guided Endoscopy Suite Opens at Grandview By marti WeBB SLay
Grandview Medical Center has opened a new artificial intelligence image-guided advanced endoscopy suite, the first in Alabama. This unit is specifically designed for gastroenterological procedures. “Fluoroscopy can be used in many specialties such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, pulmonology, and so on,” said Mohannad Dugum, MD, director of Advanced Endoscopy at Grandview. “This is designed for GI procedures. That means the way it’s structured, the movements of the arms, and the bed is all geared toward what we do.” Fluoroscopy uses x-rays for several
advanced endoscopy procedures, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which aids in the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the bile duct and pancreas. Fluoroscopy is also used to assist with the placement of stents in the GI tract, relieving blockages due to benign conditions and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and colon. The new fluoroscopy unit provides a high-quality image while reducing radiation for the patient and medical staff. “The AI capability uses very sophisticated algorithms,” Dugum said. “During the procedure, it recognizes which part of the GI tract I’m focused on, mainly Photo: Mohannad Dugum, MD with the new AI endoscopy suite.
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Research to Extend Human Life and Health Spans is Exploding By Steve SpenCer
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the science of aging with researchers focused on why people age and how we can combat it. According to Matt Kaeberlein, PhD, a biologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, “biological aging is the root cause of most major diseases in developed countries.” Therefore, if scientists can find therapies to slow biological aging, we might be better protected from debilitating illnesses like cardiac disease and cancer.
Exercise Nothing, other than calorie restriction, is as beneficial to healthy aging as exercise. For example, 10 years ago, researchers in the UK examined 125 amateur cyclists between 55 and 79, and compared them to adults in the same age range who didn’t exercise regularly. The cyclists didn’t lose muscle or much bone mass, both of which have been assumed to be inevitable in aging. The biggest surprise was related to the thymus gland, which affects immune function. It normally shrinks in older people, Steven Austad, PhD
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